Jack Wagner bests Romo at Celebrity Golf Classic
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The man most famous for playing Frisco Jones on soap opera General Hospital showed once again that being a non-professional athlete was no handicap on the course.
TV star Jack Wagner outdueled Dallas Cowboy quaterback Tony Romo to win the American Century Celebrity Golf Classic for the second time at Lake Tahoe on Sunday.
The star studded event at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course featured some of the biggest names in sports.
Representing the NBA were legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, while Hall of Fame American football wide receiver, Jerry Rice joined current luminaries Aaron Rodgers, the world champion Packers quarterback, and Falcons QB Matt Ryan were amongst the other 80-plus celebrities to pick up their clubs and head on over to Nevada.
While Jordan and Rice had smooth, long swings giving evidence of time spent on the golf course - and the patented Barkley slice showed he could do with a good deal more time on it – it was the Cowboys' Tony Romo who topped them all to get into the final round looking for the win.
All? Well, not quite.
Actor Jack Wagner, also known for his roles in The Bold and the Beautiful and Melrose Place, took up the challenge on behalf of his profession.
Despite having earlier called himself a “pipsqueak” compared to his brawny, big hitting competition, Wagner held off the late-charging Romo. The 51-year-old joins Rick Rhoden, Billy Joe Tolliver and Dan Quinn as multiple champs of the Celebrity Classic, ahead of some of the finest athletes of his generation.
With an emphasis on birdies and eagles, as per the modified Stableford scoring format, Wagner gave himself a big lead in the final round against the 31-year-old NFL player.
He birdied five of the first eight holes and again on the crucial par-3 17th which the rampaging Romo failed, despite having cut the margin to two by eagling the 11th.
A saved bogey on the 18th meant Wagner took the win by 80-77, the title, and the $125,000 winners’ check.
"Jack deserves all the credit here," Romo said. "He really went out there and won the golf tournament."
A record 40,156 fans attended the tournament over the weekend according to organisers.
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